Planning a positive and productive psychedelic trip

Since you're reading this I will assume
that you already know that drugs carry risks and spare you most of the
requisite warnings and finger-waving. You're here because you know this
and have most likely already made your decision to embark on one of these
bizarre and wonderful journeys into a state of altered perception. The
remainder of this page is a guide that should help you plan your adventure
for safety and success.

WARNING:

This site is for personal entertainment and educational use ONLY. The
creator of this site is will not be held responsible for the actions of
those who read it. We are all adults here, any decision made by you is
YOUR responsibility. If you are under 21 years of age you must leave this
site immediately. By continuing down the page you agree to hold the creator
and maintainer of this site harmless in any actions or damages resulting
from the use or misuse of information contained herein.

Understanding the nature of a psychedelic "trip"

A psychedelic drug-induced trip can make
you feel as if your senses are awakening to a new way of interpreting
the world around you, the experience feels quite honest and real and
at the same time quite foreign. Maybe it is real or maybe it isn't, this
is your decision to make. The point here is that from our current sober
perspective, the things we are aware of that define our existence are
the sensory impulses from the environment as translated by our brains,
and our own minds and thoughts. These are the things in the foreground
through most of our waking lives. We are used to having a large degree
of consistency in both how we experience the world, as well as what we
think and feel. If you look, you can see the consistency in
the patterns of thoughts and feelings that we experience from day to
day.

When you embark on a psychedelic trip you
are taking those two things that define your daily existence (thought
and experience) and turning them upside down. You're senses no longer "feel" the
same as they have always felt before and your mind no longer seems to
function the same way as it always has before. You will think of things
you have never thought of before, you may also feel things you have never
felt before. Normal, everyday common sense and logic can go flying out
the window and cease to make sense. It is from this unfamiliarity that
fear can creep in and a bad trip can begin, but it is also from this
freshness and purity of experience that you can "step outside of
yourself" and see things in a whole new way. If this is your first
time then you may have no point of reference for this experience, the
closest thing would be dreaming.

To sum it up, be prepared for anything,
and be 100% confident in what you do because once the ride begins, there's
no getting off early. Don't let this scare you though, because any trip
that goes 'bad' can also be brought back to 'good'. Adequate preparation
and focus can easily accomplish this.

So what's the plan, Stan?

Now is the time to begin
planning for your experience. Here is a basic skeleton from which to
design your own plan. There are some important steps here so don't get
lazy. You must safeguard both your mind and your body.

1. For what purpose will you be
tripping? (Why?)

This is important for planning. A spiritual trip requires
a different environment than a recreational one. A creative trip is usually
found in lighter doses then the other types. Different drugs have different
effects. Once you know WHY, you can then choose HOW. If you are not sure,
ask yourself the question "Why do I want to trip?", then write
that answer down (or remember it) and ask "Why?" to the answer.
Repeat these steps until you have a solid understanding of your reasons.
This requires a good degree of honesty to do successfully but it is important.

Example of spiritually
rooted reasons:

Why do I want to trip?

Why is it fascinating to me?

Why do I want to understand it?

Why do I want to better understand this place?

and so on....

Because I find the idea fascinating!

Because it is entirely new and different! I want to understand
it.

So I can better understand this place in which
I exist.

So I can function more effectively and efficiently.

2. What drug are you planning on
using? (What? How?)

You had better know more than just it's
name. This step is very important for both your physical and mental well-being.
Go to Erowid.org right
now and learn everything you can about it. The
Lycaeum is also a good place to look. Understand how the drug works
in your body. Understand what physiological processes are occurring,
creating it's effects, and understand well how to identify it and gauge
your dosage. Are there any drug interactions possible with other meds
you are on? Read all of Erowid's experience vaults for your substance
of choice, real people write these and they are invaluable for gaining
unique perspectives on the experiences that different drugs can bring
to you. Learn from the mistakes of others so you don't make them yourself.
Knowledge is the key to confidence. Confidence is a sturdy and dependable
life-line during a psychedelic trip only when rooted deeply in sound
knowledge.

Search Google groups to
find more experiences, opinions and information. Start with the name of the
drug, then refine the search based on the results you see. If nothing is relevant,
imagine what it is that you're searching for and add words that you would expect
to see on that page. "LSD experience" for example, or "mushroom
come up"

Find a forum about it. Use search phrases
like: "mushroom
forum" or "LSD forum" and search the results for relevant
forums that have lots of members. Forums are fantastic sources of info
because you can register and ask questions as well as search through
years and years of conversations. I have gained much from forums and
I recommend them to everyone for any subject you wish to learn more
about. Always remember that they are populated by people unknown to you,
so you should use them for direction and not as the final word. Try and
confirm everything you read on a forum before acting on the information.
As you build your plan write down all questions as you go so you don't
forget them.

3. Who is taking the trip with you? Are you going
it alone? (Who?)

My first trip was solo and it worked out
well, so don't feel that you need to have a partner for your first time.
An experienced buddy can spice up your first time tremendously though
and help you through any rough spots if you have the need. Make sure
that you trust everyone who will come into contact with you and that
you will NOT have to pretend to be sober. Be aware of people on different
types of drugs. Drunks are a bad mix with people who are tripping. Do
not trip around people who are drinking, as they get drunk, their sloppy
boisterousness will annoy you as it grows and continuously grabs at your
attention. Stick with people that can remain mellow and composed. Show
anyone who will be joining you this site and let them plan along side
you.

4. Where will you do it? Inside? Outside? Day?
Night? (Where?)

This is very important. Your environment
WILL largely dictate the overall mood of your trip. 90% of bad trips
are the result of a bad environment. When you are tripping, you are experiencing
a series of chain reactions of thought, so you must identify everything
that can trigger a negative reaction and remove it from the experience.
To select your environment, first decide how you need to feel to achieve
your purpose for tripping. Then ask yourself what places make you feel
this way. Once you know where, get specific. What items will be around?
What imagery, sounds, music, textures, colors, etc. Focus on each one
individually and ask yourself how it makes you feel. Analyze any negativity
you feel from something that will be present and discover why you get
a bad vibe from it and either eliminate the bad vibe or eliminate the
stimulus. You can eliminate a bad vibe by understanding why you react
negatively and by making one or more decisions about the nature of what
causes the negativity. This process comes down to figuring out what bugs
you and why, and then making a decision about it that prevents it from
bothering you any more. If your decision is solid then the negative thought
pattern will not return (unless you focus directly on it) because it's
cause will have been resolved. Do not reevaluate these decisions mid
trip, have faith in yourself and your decisions.

Prepare situations and environments that
are both happy and relaxing, and that also work well with your purpose.
What is the most relaxing music you've ever heard? What music makes you
feel happy and bubbly? Prepare a large selection to choose from, sometimes
you will enjoy some off the wall stuff that you wouldn't normally like
while sober. What else relaxes you and makes you feel secure? Prepare
several interesting 'diversions' that will engage your entire mind if
need be. When a trip feels like it is getting too strong it often leads
to focusing too much on the experience itself thus magnifying the problem,
so bring along some simple things that you can immerse yourself into
completely. Quantity breeds quality. The more you have to available do,
the more likely you will have something that will 'fit' the situation.
Video's and DVD's work well as distractions but will leech away precious
hours if you are not careful. Comedy shows are a better diversion, like
Family Guy or The Simpsons. Something short and engaging that will leave
you in a better mood. Write out a list to refer to for when you are blasted
out of your mind and hope you are able to read it ; ). Set up as much
ahead of time as possible (DVD in the player, turned on and ready)
to eliminate confusion.

5. Additional steps

Ensure that no one will interrupt you. Turn your phones off.
Lock the doors. Prepare as if you are expecting someone to come looking
and you don't want them to find you, that way if someone does come around
then you are prepared to avoid contact. Interacting with outsiders means
you must try and think like you are sober so you can interact and this
is almost always a drain and a drag to do. Decide ahead of time who will
deal with these distractions should they arise.

Plan your meals. Depending on your drug of
choice the effects could last anywhere from 15 minutes to 12+ hours. Eat
healthily beforehand and according to the drug you will take (Some require
empty stomachs) and plan to keep your body nourished throughout. It can
be difficult to gauge hunger while you are
tripping, in fact, most people completely loose all appetite so it is important
to make sure your body and brain has nutrients available. Fill up a quart
bottle with water (Stay away from caffeine and too much sugar) and prepare
a few small meal(s). They probably won't taste good regardless of what
they are so make them small, healthy, and easy to chew and swallow. Plan
the quantities out ahead of time and stick to your decisions.

Plan your mood. Do not embark on a psychedelic
trip if you are in a negative mental state. A trip begins with your existing
thought patterns (but the come up will often trigger new ones as well).
If they are negative then your trip will begin negatively. You want to
be in a good mood, and in a positive thought-pattern cycle. Try and begin
your trip after doing something that consistently leaves you feeling good,
like getting laid.

So you are now a genius in the area of your chosen
drug. You understand where it comes from, how it works, how to identify
it, possible dangers, how to dose, what effects to expect, what others
have experienced, and you trust your sources. Procure slightly more of
the drug then you are planning on taking and several days before the
real thing, take a very small, trial dose. Based on your research, set
aside a good dose to just barely feel some effects and take it when you
have some free time. This will serve to gauge your bodies reaction.
Some people are hypersensitive to certain drugs, you want to make
sure that you are not one of them before dosing any higher. Other drugs,
like mushrooms can vary greatly in potency from batch to batch so test
carefully. This will also for the most part rule out adverse reactions
and give you a very minute taste of what to expect. If all goes well
then decide on a good dose for your planned experience and give your
body some time to drop any tolerance you built up during the test (5
days - 1 week is usually plenty)

Last minute prep

You're now ready to go and you feel 100%
confident in your preparations. Congratulations, you are in control.
Here are a few things you can do to reassure yourself of this FACT if
you begin to doubt it at any time in your trip.

Write some notes to yourself. Put post-it's
on everything you are not supposed to do. Put a post it on the phones
with a simple, SHORT, clearly written message reminding yourself that
regardless of how you feel, whatever it is can and should wait until
you're sober. Put a note everywhere you know you shouldn't be poking
around. Write a brief "freak-out" note
to yourself along these lines; "Everything is fine, your safety
has been completely planned for. Have faith in your preparations." Just
something simple and easily readable that will
remind you of the confidence
you feel in your decisions and planning. Do not mention specifics in
any of these notes as they can cause you to attempt to reevaluate a
decision mid-trip. Always remember that your judgment may be flawed
and have faith in your preparations. All you should be focusing on is
are positive, fun things, everything else is already taken care of.
Enjoy it!

Test your friends mind-states. Ask them
open ended questions that aren't obviously designed to find their mood.
Make sure nothing is "on their minds". Creating a fun atmosphere
and getting everyone laughing works wonders for preparing friends. If
you can't make them laugh then something is wrong, or you are simply
not funny. In this case put a little forethought into it, if you know
what tickles your friends minds then you can design something to do or
say to make them laugh pretty easily.

Keep yourselves occupied during the onset. Some drugs have
easy come-ups and hard come-downs, others have the opposite effect. Know
what to expect and if anyone speaks in fear during the come up help them
direct their focus elsewhere with control and confidence. Engage them
in something that requires their whole mind. The waiting is the hardest
part, so have something to do like video games or cards. Anything but
sitting around waiting. Happy, calm music works well at this stage.

Take note of the time you dosed and the time you first
started feeling effects. Depending on the drug you should already know
how long the peak will last and an approximate amount of time for it
to set in. From now on you can use the clock to gauge your progress through
the experience if you feel the need.

Arrange everything neatly and simply. Your
music, diversions, food, etc. Assume that you may confuse easily and
make sure there will be nothing complicated for you to have to do. Nothing
is worse then trying to comprehend how to set something complicated up
when you are trashed on psychedelics.

Be prepared to help a friend. Just because
you are well prepared mentally doesn't mean you friends are. Exude confidence
(not arrogance) and let them have faith in your plan. Remember that a
bad trip is nothing more than negative thoughts prevailing in the mind
at the time of intoxication. Recognize any indicators that your friends
are beginning to think negatively and direct their focus to better things
if they are. Do not engage in a group session of feeling your own heart
beats. When a negative enters your focus (and they will), just let it
pass on through along with everything else you experience. Trouble only
comes when you grab the negative idea and focus on it, this causes your
mind to explore it and elaborate on it. The process is very natural and
logical and once you understand then it will be simple to control your
state every bit of the way. Remind your friends of this when the need
arises.

Remove everything that could become dangerous. Take note
of places that could be dangerous, especially if outside. Do not engage
in dangerous activities like rock climbing, swimming or driving.

That's it, I hope this guide helps you
in some way. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions please
drop me a line here:

This site was made to help everyone so
if you see something that should be changed or have something valuable
to add please let me know so we may improve it for the benefit of all
who find it.